Should conventions always be adhered to or do they restrict creativity?

When producing our thriller opening for our Foundation portfolio, we did adhere to most of the generic thriller conventions.
For example

• A build up to the action
• Creation of fear/apprehension
• Flashbacks
• Murder encouraging a suspecting audience
• Twists in the plot
• Red Herrings
• Delays in revealing characters true identities
• Creation of suspense through use of soundtrack

I think the reason for us using these conventions was because we had picked up these kind of techniques through watching other thriller openings when carrying out our background research. I feel we would have used the same methods even if we had not known the set conventions of a thriller opening, we simply used what felt natural.

The only real convention that we did subvert was including a hero(ine), the only reason for this was because this would not have fitted in with our storyline. It would also be difficult to establish a hero in the opening sequences.

When producing our music video however, we had to look a bit closer at the given conventions of a successful video. We did a lot of work on Andrew Goodwin's principles, as we would need to use most, if not all of them in our final piece. If we chose to ignore too many of the key features then our music video would not have been successful at all. The only convention that we subverted was the intertextual references.

When carrying out either of these tasks it is very important to study the conventions laid out for you as they are the key to success. However I do think that it is a good idea to adapt the conventions as this makes your work more original if you use your own interpretations of the guidelines.

Conventions of a Music Video

Music Video Conventions

• Star image motif - record companies demand a lot of close ups of the main artist or vocalist
• There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
• The notion of looking.
• There are likely to be intertextual references , either to other music videos or to films and TV texts. These provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans
• Cuts match the beat/tempo of the music
• Fast cut montage - no single shot is held for more than a couple of seconds

Conventions of a Thriller

Thriller Conventions

• The use of lighting - thrillers are normally filmed in quite dark areas and at night time.
• The use of flashbacks in the footage
• It may not be clear who is to be trusted in the opening. Characters may have hidden agendas.
• Thriller antagonists are always human (not supernatural)
• Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better-equipped villains
• Thrillers rarely contain blood and gore - the suspense is instead built up through the implication of an event taking place. It is often 'what is not seen' that creates fear in the audience
• Thriller is a genre of literature, film and television that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements.
• Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge, and kidnappings.
• Elements such as conspiracy theories, false accusations, paranoia, and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers.
• The tension usaully arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible.
• Life is threatened , usaully because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation.